Heartbeat
by catwaked94
Summary: After an explosive fight between Hermione and Ron, Hermione takes it upon herself to show Ron what he lost when they broke up. Who else can help her achieve her goal but the Slytherin Prince himself? Post DH AU HermionexDraco
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**I don't own anything in regards to Harry Potter! It belongs to J.K. Rowling, brilliant woman that she is. Hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think!

* * *

Chapter 1

The sound of footsteps in the hall made her blood run cold. She didn't want to talk to anyone, let alone let them see her in such a state. What had started out to be a perfectly good day suddenly became one of her worst. She continued on her search for the perfect hiding spot and knew that there was only one place she could go.

The library. A room containing thousands of books on topics one could only dream of reading about. Each leather-bound volume gracing the shelves smelled like home to her. The sound of each page crinkling as she read, the feel of each sheet, used and well-loved, beneath her fingers. It all reminded her of afternoons spent in her father's study, reading story after story while other kids were outside. This had to be the greatest room in Hogwarts. A student could study, read, contemplate life, or even hide from their boyfriend.

That was how Hermione found herself crouching under the table at the farthest corner from the entrance of the library with her hands clasped over her mouth to silence her tears. Although it was the most obvious place to look, she was not at her usual table and hoped that Ron would not look further. It was all rather silly actually considering she's faced deatheaters, Lord Voldemort and was a member of the Order. Surely she could face her boyfriend.

"Hermione?" A decidedly feminine voice called out from the entrance of the library. She remained silent, praying that whoever it was wouldn't continue in their endeavour to find her. Footsteps approached, floorboards creaked and finally, she saw a flash of red as Ginny Weasley appeared in front of her. The youngest Weasley drank in the site of Hermione, pale, shaking and crying silently into her hands and sighed. She took a tentative step towards her best friend and when she didn't move away, Ginny sat down under the table next to her.

Oddly enough, Hermione thought that it was Harry that would be the one to find her, however she was much happier to see this redhead. Ginny was her best girl friend and as much as she loved Harry, he was not the type of person to talk about feelings with. She felt Ginny wrap her arms around her shoulders and almost immediately, she started sobbing into the redheads arms. She wasn't usually such a wreck. Godric knows that she was referred to as 'the brightest witch of her age' after she helped defeat the Dark Lord and yet here she was, acting like some overdramatic, emotional teenage girl.

"Hermione, what happened?" Ginny asked after almost five minutes of Hermione crying. Hermione took a deep breath before looking up at her friend.

"Everything was perfect this morning. Then in the afternoon, I was helping Harry with his Care of Magical Creatures assignment and Ron went mental. Started claiming that I was in love with Harry, that I was cheating on him, all of this nonsense just spewed from his mouth. Naturally I tried to calm him down and reassure him that I was not in love with Harry, he's like my brother for Merlin's sake! He just kept going, and-Oh Gin, he was so mean. He said- He said that-" She began to sob uncontrollably once again, leaving the younger of the two confused and shocked over what had happened.  
"Mione, what on earth could he have done for you to cry so much?" asked a bewildered Ginny.

"He called me a mudblood" the broken-hearted witch whispered back after wiping her face. She looked down in her lap and began to play with the hem of her school sweater as she recalled the argument that took place earlier that day.

* * *

_Ron threw his books off the table and yelled in aggravation. He could not believe her! First he catches her cuddling with Dean and Harry, claiming to help them with their homework, and now she has the nerve to deny it. He ran his hands through his hair and pulled slightly._

_The common room watched in anticipation over what would happen next. Hermione and Rob were famous for their fights, which took place almost every week, however they were never as bad as this. Harry, Neville, Dean and Seamus stood to the side, prepared to intervene should Ron become violent._

_"Honestly Ronald, you're being obtuse. I was helping Harry and Dean with the Care of Magical Creatures essay that we did last week. Just apologize for making such a ruckus and everything will be alright" a frustrated Hermione told her boyfriend. She walked forward to put her hand on his forearm but he smacked it away angrily. She put her hand to her chest and looked at him in shock._

_He punched the wall in frustration and Harry started towards Ron, only for Hermione to put her hand up, signaling him to stay out of it._

_"Apologize and everything will be alright? Be Alright? You cheated on me and you expect me to apologize? How dare you! Maybe if you weren't such a slut, none of this would have happened. Honestly, I only got together with you out of pity. I saw how you watched me, it was disgusting. Maybe if you looked more like a girl, and less like a beast I'd consider actually dating you." Ron ranted but Hermione said nothing._

_She simply stared at him, lifted her head up to look into his eyes. He stared back, his eyes blazing. "Then maybe we shouldn't be together Ronald." said the calmer of the two. Ron just smirked and looked down at her with pity._

_"It doesn't affect my life really. You were lucky to have someone as good as me because you're nothing but a filthy little mudblo-" Ron was cut off with the sound of Harry's fist connecting with his cheek. Everyone watched in shock as Ron and Harry began to wrestle on the floor, trying to punch each other. Neville and Dean went to console Hermione but when they turned towards her, she was gone._

* * *

For the next few hours, the two girls sat under a bookshelf, hidden from Madame Pince, and just kept the conversation going. Ginny tried to steer clear of Ron's name in conversation and Hermione slowly calmed down and they were able to slowly make their way back to the common room.

As they entered the common room, everyone looked towards her. Harry was sitting on the couch with a cloth against his bleeding lip and swollen jaw. His glasses lay broken on the table and his hand was bandaged. Hermione ran to him, crying out at his disheveled appearance. She wrapped her arms around him and began apologizing for Ron's behavior.

"Hermione, you have no reason whatsoever to be apologizing for the git. You were an amazing girlfriend to him and he lost out. You deserve so much better than him and he had no right to call you the words he did" Harry looked at his best friend as she nodded her head with tears in her eyes.

"Maybe we should go see Hagrid, what do you say Mione?" Harry offered. Ginny nodded her head in approval at the idea, but Hermione shook her head.

"I think I'd rather take a walk and clear my head. As much as I appreciate everything that you're doing for me, I need some time alone" she said in a small voice.

After much convincing, they agreed to let her go off alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for all the support and positive responses in terms of this story! I felt like an overnight sensation aha! I know that there are a lot of stories like this one, so I'll do my best to keep away from the cliche's! Anyways, keep reviewing and adding it to your favorites! It means a lot to me :)  
PS. Draco won't make an appearance until the 3rd or 4th chapter because I want to establish Hermione's character and some of her friendships as much as possible!

* * *

Chapter Two

As Hermione made her way out of the common room, she began to think. She didn't want Ron back, that was a given. She promised herself that she would never take a man back if they mistreated her in any way and right now, even Malfoy seemed nicer than him. She decided to head to the Astronomy tower in order to clear her mind.

Thinking back to the previous year, she was amazed to see how far everyone had come. After the final battle, there was a huge memorial service in honour of all those who died during the war. All of the Death Eaters were sentenced to life in Azkaban however Narcissa and Draco were exempted after Harry's insistence at the trial that they were innocent. Harry and Ginny had gotten together but after a few months, they broke up amiably. They considered each other brother and sister rather than boyfriend and girlfriend. McGonagall was the current Headmistress and everyone loved her. Her parents were still in Australia. After Hermione returned their memories, they decided to stay there for retirement and Hermione wrote to them almost every week. They maintained a good relationship however she declined their offer to leave Hogwarts and move in with them. It was too far from her life and she wanted to graduate more than anything.

Hermione slowly made her way up to the highest room in the tower. Whenever she was distraught, she would come sit up here and spend some time alone. If the library was full, or she needed absolute silence to concentrate, she'd come sit here and study. It was soothing, to be able to look up at the clear night sky, identify constellations and feel the cool breeze on hot nights.

Tonight was one of those nights where she just wanted to be alone. After everything that occured in the past 24 hours, she didn't want to be around anyone, didn't want to have to explain her feelings and definitely didn't want to think about Ron's betrayal. He was one of her best friends, she was in love with him. Everyone would talk about how they were to be married for sure when they graduated, so much so that even Hermione herself began to believe it. After all they had been through in the past 7 years, his actions left her dumbfounded. She considered herself to be a fairly good judge of character, yet with Ron, she'd been way off.

Thinking back to the Final Battle, she thought of all those who had died. The ones that really affected her the most Tonks and Remus. Remus had treated her as a daughter after their third year and when he married Tonks, she was thrilled. She knew about Tonks feelings for the werewolf and just how much it hurt her when he constantly rejected her. At Hermione and Ginny's insistence, Nymphadora agreed to publicly declare her feelings for him. She smirked as she imagined Tonks expression every time someone called her Nymphadora.

Apart from Ginny, Tonks was one of her closest female friends and she began to tear up at the thought of her. What would Tonks tell her to do in such a situation? Ginny and Tonks were the best friends a girl could ask for, and Hermione silently cried in mourning for the pink-haired girl she considered a sister. Since her and Remus had passed away, it had been hard to come to terms with everything. No more late night talks with Remus in the library at Grimmauld Place or sleepovers with Tonks. She laughed as she recalled the craziest sleepover they'd ever had, their last one.

* * *

_"Hermione!" Tonks whined, swaying slightly to the music playing in the background. Ginny laughed and passed her another glass of butterbeer. Hermione ignored the older witch and continued reading her novel._

_It was the summer before the Final Battle and they were having a sleepover. It had been a while since they all got together and with dark times looming ahead, they all agreed that it was necessary. They had taken the attic of Grimmauld Place over, locked the door and cast a silencing charm so that they wouldn't disturb anyone. _

_Hermione, however, brought a book with her and refused to let it go until she finished it. She'd been sitting there for almost thirty minutes and Tonks was fed up of it. She wanted to dance, to gossip, to laugh, to be free and Hermione was being a spoilsport. She winked at the redhead before grabbing the novel from an unsuspecting Hermione's hands and throwing it up into the air. _

_"Confringo!" Ginny cast the spell and watched as the novel burst into flames. Hermione protested but Tonks quickly shoved a butter beer into her hands and turned up the music. Hermione begrudgingly agreed to let loose after her novel was destroyed and within minutes, they were laughing like maniacs._

_After seven or eight butterbeers each, the girls were well on their way to tipsy and decided that it was hazardous to remain standing. Sitting in a circle, they began to swap stories of their summers and any other interesting things they thought of._

_"I just don't understand my hair. I mean, it's not like I want to look as though I'm electrocuted every morning!" Hermione complained of her infamous, bushy hair. Ginny smacked her forehead in exasperation and Tonks simply huffed._

_"Oh no young bookworm! You don't get to complain about hair. You have one color you can stick to, I have this constant rainbow on my head that I can't control! Look at this!" Tonks' hair quickly began shifting through different colors before she finally chose to stop and let it become an actual color wheel. There were stripes of every color in her hair. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple strands of hair sat on her head. _

_At the sight of Tonks' hair, Hermione choked on her beverage while Ginny, the graceful lady she is, spat out her drink all over the carpet. They began rolling on the floor shrieking with laughter while Tonks crossed her arms and pouted. _

_"Accio firewhiskey!" Ginny quickly grabbed the bottle that appeared out of thin air and drank some. Her face pinched in disgust at the bitter taste but she kept going. Hermione decided to have some as well and they all began to dance wildly. Usually their nights together were much calmer and civilized, however they didn't know whether they would be together or not for the next one so this night would be one to remember._

_Finally, at roughly five in the morning, the girls let sleep take over and they passed out on the arrangements of pillows and blankets that Mrs. Weasley had prepared for them in advance. It might have been crazier than usual, but it was exactly what they needed and they all fell asleep with peaceful smiles on their faces._

* * *

Hermione was so lost in thought that she didn't notice just how much time she had spent in the astronomy tower until the clock chimed twelve times, signaling midnight. She quickly gathered up her cloak and wand before running all the way back to the Head's common room.

On her way back to the common room, Hermione tripped over one of the rugs lining the halls and went flying forward. The shriek that erupted from her lips was silenced by the impact of her fall and the noise echoed throughout the corridor. She heard a pair of footsteps approach her and knowing that escape was not an option, Hermione chose the much more dignified choice of laying face first in the carpet, unmoving. After all that had happened today, getting caught by Filch would really be the icing on the cake. She moaned in pain and heard someone speak.

"Well, well, well, look who I found"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm so incredibly sorry that it took so long for me to finish this chapter! I've been super swamped and a lot is going on in my life right now but I promise I'll keep typing chapters and updating as often as possible! Reviews make me happy :)

I don't own anything in regards to Harry Potter! It belongs to J.K. Rowling, brilliant woman that she is. Hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think!

* * *

At the sound of someone speaking, Hermione looked up. From her position on the ground, she was able to see Professor Slughorn looking down at her in a decidedly curious manner.

"Ms. Granger, what on earth are you doing on the floor like that?" The older man bent down to help her up. Hermione took his hand gratefully and got up from the floor. After dusting off her robes, the young which began to head to the common room.

"Uh Miss Granger?" The potions professor tentatively called out.

"Yes Professor Slughorn?" Hermione turned around to look at him as she responded. He motioned for her to follow him towards the dungeons and with a curt nod, she began catching up to walk next to him. Obviously he was going to give her detention for being out after hours, regardless of whether or not she was Head Girl.

Together, the unlikely pair made the long trek to the dungeons in silence. Hermione could not believe all that had happened that ultimately led to her following this professor to his office. As they reached the door to his office, he turned back towards her with a slight smile.

"Now young lady, don't be afraid. You are not getting a detention nor am I deducting house points. I simply thought it might be a good idea to invite you down to my office for a spot of tea. You looked dreadful on the carpet."

Hermione stared at him in shock. A spot of tea? At this hour? It was almost one o'clock in the morning! She decided to humor the old man by sitting in the chair opposite of his desk. He took out two cups, two spoons, two saucers, a cup of sugar and a little pot of milk. As they drank the hot beverage, they made small talk, discussing the assignments she's had, the duties pertaining to Head Girl and even her opinion of Professor McGonagall as Head Mistress. Hermione haven't even noticed just how badly she had needed a distraction such as this one until she looked at the clock on Slughorn's desk and saw that nearly two hours had passed. She quickly expressed her thanks to the professor and made her way out of the office. She really had to stop losing track of time.

By the time the Head girl made her way to her dormitory, it was almost a quarter past three in the morning. She climbed into bed and fell asleep rather quickly after all that had occurred over the past day or so.

The next morning Hermione woke up feeling rather refreshed. She felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. As she slowly made her way through her morning routine of brushing her hair, teeth, washing her face and getting dressed, she mulled over her current situation.

She was now single. Her (ex)best friend had called her a mudblood. She wanted revenge, that was a given, but how to get it? She didn't want to resort to any Slytherin tactics and was hoping to remain true to her Gryffindor heritage, but she was not sure if that would be a possibility at this time and in this situation.

She put on her uniform and pinned her badge to the front of her robes. No matter what anyone said, she had worked hard for this privilege and was proud to have received such an honour.

She made her way down the dormitory stairs and said good morning to Harry who was waiting for her like usual. They walked slowly to the Great Hall together and when they arrived, they were happy to see that it was remotely empty.

Hermione sat down in front of a dish and began to fill her plate as Ginny joined Harry and her. The two began to talk animatedly amongst themselves which was fine as Hermione was still thinking about the past day. She looked around the room and noticed Draco Malfoy staring at her intensely. She locked eyes with him and couldn't help the shiver than ran through her. Why was he staring at the Gryffindor table, but more importantly, why was he staring at her? After five minutes, Hermione finally broke her gaze with the silver-haired student and looked down at her untouched food. Looking at the clock above the main doors, she began to shovel food into her mouth quickly. She really couldn't afford to be late, or she might miss an important lesson, then fail her exam and they would take away her badge and give it to some Ravenclaw. Hermione shuddered at thought of someone like Cho Chang getting her position and taking on her responsibilities. She glared at the goblet in front of her as she imagined that possibility. Waves of jealousy coursed through her and with that, she began to pack her things.

She knew she was being foolish and that no one else deserved her badge more than she but she couldn't help but worry. Walking up the stairs and out of the Great Hall, she headed to the dungeons for her first class. As she thought about the conversation she had with her Potions Professor last night, she froze mid-step.

* * *

_"Sir, I don't understand why so many people resent Harry though. He never did anything wrong, in fact, he saved the entire Wizarding World!" Hermione exclaimed as she gracefully lifted her cup of tea that was sitting on the desk of Professor Slughorn._

_"My dear Miss Granger, surely you understand something as simple as the concept of jealousy" He peered over his side of the desk and watched her as her mind ran a mile a minute._

_"Whatever do you mean?" She questioned after taking a sip of the currently lukewarm beverage. He looked at her in shock for a minute then sat back comfortably for a moment. He brought his hands together and leaned forward once again._

_"People always want what they can't have, and when they see someone else with what they want, especially someone they hate, they get jealous". Hermione sat there for a few minutes contemplating before Slughorn opened his mouth once again._

_"No need for such depressing topics though my dear. Would you like some more tea?" He held up the pot with a smile._

* * *

She thought about the wise man's words and how easily they fit her current situation. Ron was constantly jealous of people when they had something he wanted. That, in addition to his famous temper would be the key element in getting her revenge. She needed to make him jealous, extremely jealous to teach him his lesson.

Hermione mulled over the idea while she walked down the dreary dungeons but discarded the idea. There was no way that would work. She'd have to use something better. For Merlin's sake, she was Hermione Jean Granger, The Brightest Witch of her Age, and one third of The Golden Trio.

As she tried to think of another plan, Draco Malfoy approached her. She nearly jumped because she hadn't noticed him until he was spoke.

"Granger".

"Malfoy, what do you want?" she asked the Slytherin Prince. He simply shrugged and continued looking at her. Hermione was about to ask what he wanted when he spoke again.

"I don't hate you, you know. It's the Weasel you hang out with that I can't stand. Not to mention that he hates me more than anyone else, just because my father got Head Boy and his didn't. I swear he's an idiot, gets jealous over the smallest thing". He folded his arms over his chest as he realized just how much he told her.

"What does that have to do with anything?" The bookworm questioned.

"Make with it what you will, but just remember that you can do better than some weasel like him" Draco said in a surprisingly honest manner. Before Hermione could answer back, the bell rang, signaling the end of breakfast. The hallways quickly became flooded with students and Draco was able to walk away without any other interactions between them.

As the students went to various classes, running past one another, laughing and screaming, Hermione stood in the same place, frozen like a statue.

_"People always want what they can't have."_

_"You can do better than some weasel."_

_"When they see someone else with what they want, they get jealous_."

_"He gets jealous over the smallest thing."_

_"-Especially someone they hate."_

_"He hates me more than anyone else."_

Hermione clicked.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jealousy! What a brilliant idea. While Hermione had discarded her original plan earlier, she now knew what had to be done to accomplish her goal. She needed to make Ron jealous, but she needed to do so by flaunting a relationship in his face. There was only one man to do it. Draco Malfoy.

In an uncharacteristic turn of events, Hermione decided not to go to class that day, and spent it sitting outside on the grounds. She knew that with everything that had occurred in these past few days, she would not pay the proper amount of attention that her professors deserve, and would rather skip their class than not listen to them properly.

Sitting down under a tree just beyond the quidditch pitch, Hermione took out her copy of 'Hogwarts: A History', just in case anyone found her sitting here instead of being in class. She was still hesitating over whether or not Malfoy was the best person for the role. On one hand, he was an egotistical, prejudiced jerk who believed himself to be superior than others but on the other hand, who else could be a better candidate than the Slytherin God himself? Not only does Ron hate him, but he is arguably one of the best looking men in school. He's the complete opposite of Ron and even though she felt a pang of guilt for doing this, she knew he deserved it. After everything that had happened between them, it wasn't even close to what he did to her and the pain he put her through.

Being her naturally organized self, Hermione began listing all that needed to be done. She knew that she needed to fix up her appearance a bit, get some different clothes, act a certain way and most importantly, get Malfoy to agree to this crazy plan. She knew that that chances of Malfoy agreeing to this plan was far-fetched but ever since the fall of Voldemort, he's become a better person.

Putting the book down, Hermione let herself drift off peacefully, laying her head down against her bag on the grass.

* * *

Waking up hours later, Hermione momentarily forgot where she was and panicked. As she recalled just how her day had gone, she eased herself off the grass slowly and checked her watch. Cursing herself for sleeping through dinner, she decided to walk around the castle as opposed to going to the library and studying like most would expect.

As she walked around the castle she considered home, she weighed the pros and cons of this idea. In the end, she found no cons worth fretting over and decided to actually go through with it. All she needed now was to ask Malfoy whether he'd help her or not. Forgetting about the crucial other member of this devious plan, Hermione stopped walking abruptly. Mid-step, she spun around and practically ran back to her dorm. She needed to find Malfoy and ask him, and the first place she'd check was the Heads dorm.

Being the Head Girl, she was entitled to many privileges, one of them being her own room, in a dorm she shares with the Head Boy. This year, the Head Boy just so happened to be none other than the devil himself, Draco Malfoy. She smirked as she imagined just how easy this might all be. All she needed to do was wait for the perfect moment, get Malfoy to agree and then hopefully she'll get her revenge.

Just as she was about to enter the dorm, she saw a figure waiting by the portrait. They were leaning haphazardly, as though they'd been waiting for quite some time. At the sound of her footsteps, he looked up and Hermione found herself looking straight at Harry. Smiling at her best friend, she greeted him.

"Harry, not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you here at this hour?" Harry simply opened his bag, taking out a stack of assignments and a container filled with her favorite foods.  
"Well you didn't show up to class, so I collected your homework assignments for you. I figured I'd give them to you at dinner, but you weren't there either so I brought you some food." Feeling guilty for not warning Harry about her whereabouts today, Hermione thanked him repeatedly.

After a few minutes of small talk, the young woman let out a huge yawn so Harry said he'd see her in the morning and advised her to get some much-needed rest. Hermione took her assignments and food from her best friend, bade him goodnight and climbed through the portrait to her common room.

Continuing straight up the stairs to her room, Hermione thought of how much her life had changed since last week. She thought that Ron was the love of her life, and yet here she was, trying to make him jealous. Not one to waste time, she figured that she should get a head start on her plan and begin rifling through her clothes to find the perfect outfit to wear on the first day. Opening her trunk, Hermione tried to find something other than her school robes to wear. Knowing her mother and Ginny, they probably snuck in few articles of clothing that she would have never considered wearing before. Hermione was about to continue her search when she heard the portrait open and the familiar sound of Draco's footsteps filled the room.

Hastily putting her trunk away, Hermione scrambled to get to the common room before Draco retired for the evening. Nearly tripping on the stairs multiple times, Hermione got to the common room just as Draco reached his staircase.

"Draco! Erhm, I mean, Malfoy! Wait!" Draco turned around, surprised to hear Hermione speaking to him.  
"Yes, Granger?" She continued to walk through the common room and sat down on the sofa. Patting the seat next to her, she looked at him expectingly.

"I need help with something, and i believe that you're the only one who can truly help me achieve the end result I'm hoping for." Draco cocked an eyebrow and sat in one of the chairs by the sofa. Thinking it was something to do with school work, he wasn't paying much attention to her.

"And just what would that be?"  
"I want revenge on Ronald." Draco's head shot up at her words.  
"Why on earth do you want revenge on Weasel? Isn't he your boyfriend?"  
"We broke up recently and I figured out the perfect way to get revenge, although I'll need your help" Draco motioned for her to continue by waving his hand.  
"Well, Rona-Weasley has a temper, and I plan on using that to my advantage. I want to make him jealous by flaunting a relationship in front of his face. I need you to pose as my boyfriend for a short while, just to prove a point."

"You must be joking. You want me to pose as your boyfriend just so that you can get back together with Weasel?" Draco looked nauseated at the thought. Hermione, seeing this, quickly shook her head and corrected herself.  
"No, I don't want to get back together with him. He's a foul excuse of a man and he needs to learn that he can't simply treat me like some slave. Nothing would make him angrier than seeing me move on so quickly, especially with his enemy." Draco still wasn't convinced but he'd never seen the Head Girl look so down. He knew that she'd never do such a thing unless the Weasel had really hurt her and for that alone, he made up his mind. The school year has been rather boring and it could turn out to be quite fun, messing with the Weasel.

Draco stood up and held out his hand to the woman sitting across from him. She looked at it confusingly before she grasped it and he helped her up. Looking down at the young woman he towered over, he smirked.

"Count me in Granger."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Hermione yawned as she stretched in her bed. She'd been up most of the night discussing ideas with Draco. She wanted to start off with a bang and really throw it in Ron's face, whereas Draco thought it'd be best to start off slowly-to show a progression so that no one could deny that their relationship was in fact real. After Draco further explained his point, Hermione saw the merit and agreed that it'd be best to use his idea.

They agreed to start out slowly, to just be seen spending time together between classes and on weekends. From there they'd go on dates, hold hands, act more like a couple. It wouldn't make any sense if they suddenly walked into the Great Hall one day stuck to each other if they'd been fighting the day before.

When the realization that Draco agreed to help with the plan hit her, Hermione got out of bed with newfound energy. After completing her usual routine, she was at a crossroads because the last thing she needed was Harry and Ginny smothering her, demanding why she suddenly wanted to put effort into her appearance (when she never did before), however she wasn't sure whether Draco would do anything today. Knowing that she should at least put in a bit of effort just in case, she decided to tame her bushy hair so that it fell in soft waves and put a bit of mascara.

Picking up her required uniform, she dressed, grabbed her schoolbag and carried her Gryffindor robe in her arms. Looking in the mirror, she was satisfied with her appearance and she left her bedroom.

There she saw that Draco was sitting on the couch and appeared to be waiting for her. At the sound of her entering the room, he turned his head in her direction and stood up to greet her.

"Well, someone looks a bit different today" he stated in a rather bored voice. Hermione blushed as she looked at her feet. Draco cleared his throat and held out his arm. She simply looked at him blankly.

"Take my arm bookworm. We have to start somewhere!" he said in an exasperated manner.

"I thought we'd enter together, but I wasn't sure if we'd make it so obvious" she explained. He huffed and looked at her in annoyance.

"Granger, we'll walk together, but we won't enter the Hall holding each other. That way the few people who will be in the halls will see us, but the majority won't. This way, a rumor will spread but not many people can claim that they saw us and if we're confronted, we can choose not to answer which will further anyone's suspicions." Hermione was impressed by his plan. Nodding her head in understanding, she tucked her arm into his elbow and let him lead her out of the Head dorm.

"So how is this going to go about? Won't your friends get on your case for being seen with me?"

"If they ask, I can always say that we're just taking care of Head duties until we decided to show that we're together openly" Hermione simply agreed with him. Still feeling awkward, she kept quiet for the majority of the time they walked together and soon they reached the main staircase.

By this time, more than a few people had seen them and Hermione wasn't sure how to act. Draco was completely at ease with all the attention and simply ignored it all. She had let go of his arm as soon as she saw someone stare at them, but Draco simply placed his arm at the curve of her lower back and kept guiding her. He would occasionally say something random in an effort to make small talk and Hermione would answer with short answers.

Hermione could see that he was growing impatient with her so she tried to put in a bit more effort and even laughed at one of his comments, drawing more attention to them. Like Draco had predicted, there were only a handful of students or so in the hallways but she knew that someone would definitely make a comment on their interaction.

Reaching the doors of the Great Hall, Draco let go of Hermione almost immediately.

"Granger" was all he said, coupled with a nod in her direction. He entered the Hall with his usual smirk in place and Hermione simply pushed her shoulders back and walked through after him. Finding the signature mop of black hair and long bright red tresses sitting near the end of the Gryffindor table, it didn't take very long for Hermione to join her friends. Placing her bag under the bench, she took the seat next to Ginny.

"Good morning you two!" Hermione pushed the hair in her face behind her ears and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Morning Mione" came from Ginny, who seemed to be in a state between asleep and awake. Harry merely grunted and Hermione laughed, used to his morning antics. Harry and Ron were not morning people and she doubted they never will be. At the thought of Ron, Hermione frowned. She hasn't seen him in the past two days, and couldn't help but look around for her once-best friend. When she didn't see him anywhere, she sighed and filled her plate up with food.

"So Mione, have you heard the latest bit of gossip?" Ginny asked, in her usual chatty manner. Hermione shook her head and leaned forward, eager to hear something that would cheer her up.

"Well, I heard that Pansy Parkinson's father-" Ginny was interrupted by the doors slamming against the walls as Ron entered the hall with Lavender Brown on his arm. He took a seat next to Harry and Lavender sat next to him giggling. Harry, Ginny and Hermione were silent as they all stared at their red-head friend. Ron put his arm around Lavender in a blatant public display of affection and Hermione was disgusted. Not knowing how to react, Hermione started a conversation with Harry about the Defense homework he brought her the night before. Ginny, not knowing what to do, simply grabbed a muffin from the basket in front of her and began eating quietly.

"-So Harry, where were you last night? When I got to the dorms you weren't there" Ron asked, completely interrupting the discussion between Harry and Hermione. She huffed in annoyance and Harry turned to face his red-haired friend.

"I went to see Hermione last night. I brought her some food and the homework assignments she missed yesterday" he explained. Lavender scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Why on earth would you waste your time doing that?" Ron patted her shoulder and agreed with Lavender as though Hermione wasn't sitting right next to his sister.

"Honestly mate, don't bother. The bookworm doesn't need our help with homework. I mean, she was the one that did my homework all the time, stupid mudblo-" Ron was cut off by Ginny pouring a mug of apple juice all over her older brother. Hermione sat stock-still in shock as Ginny began to yell at Ron.

"Ronald Bilius Weasely, you are a disgusting excuse for a man and Merlin help you if I ever hear you speak to my best friend that way! I have absolutely no problem writing home to mum and dad and seeing how they'll react to your newfound attitude." The Great Hall was quiet as students and teachers alike watched the interaction between the feuding siblings. No one had ever seen Ginny yell at her brother so openly but then again, Ron had been a right git these past few days, to almost everyone in school.

Draco watched from his spot at the Slytherin table curiously. He had never seen Weasely act that way and understood why Granger suddenly wanted his help.

"Say Drake, what do you reckon is going on with the Weasel?" his best friend Blaise leaned over to whisper to him. Draco shrugged and continued looking over his homework. It was due next week but with all of his Head Boy duties, he barely had time to sleep, let alone finish his assignments.

"Granger's looking rather different today. Don't you find?" Draco asked curiously. Blaise looked up from his eggs and studied the Head Girl.

"She's certainly prettier this year, I guess the little Gryffindor princess is all grown up but why the sudden interest mate?"

"No reason Blaise, just curious." Looking at the watch on his wrist, Draco packed up the assignment he'd been working on for Professor Slughorn and swung his book bag over his right shoulder. 'Well, it can't hurt to start now. The attention is already on that group so I might as well enjoy this' he mused. Saying goodbye to his closest friend, Draco made his way to the Gryffindors.

Hermione sat there as Ron and Ginny continued to bicker over her. She didn't know what to say and knew better than anyone not to get involved as the Weaselys were famous for their temper. She felt someone pat her on the hand and looked up to see a sympathetic pair of green eyes looking at her. She tried to smile at Harry (although it was more of a grimace really) and sipped at the coffee in front of her. Harry suddenly began to squint and looked straight at her-or rather, beyond her. Turning around just as her best friend spoke, she saw Draco making his way towards her.

"What do you want Malfoy?" There was no malice behind Harrys' question, just a slight edge as he was not used to interacting with Slytherins. Even though the war was over, that did not mean that everyone became best friends in a matter of minutes. It was still hard on every, although Harry was definitely the one putting in the most effort to stop the segregation between Houses.

Ron and Ginny stopped fighting as soon as they heard Harry address Draco and soon the entire Hall was looking at them. Draco looked as though he'd just woken up, with messy blonde hair, his tie hastily thrown on and the first two buttons of his school shirt open. Hermione couldn't help but stare as the handsome man smirked at her friends and looked at her.

"Ready to go, _Hermione_?" Draco put extra emphasis on using her first name and held out his left hand to help her up while his right hand held onto the strap of his schoolbag. She smiled, grateful for Draco's interruption, and more than ready to start her plan. Ignoring Ron's horrified look, Lavender's bulging eyes, Harry's shock and Ginny's confusion, Hermione took Draco's hand and stood up with his help. Picking her things up, she faced her friends.

"Harry, Ginny, I'll see you at lunch?" More of a question than anything else, her friends agreed, too dumbfounded to say anything coherent. Hermione walked through the Hall with Draco by her side.

Silence reigned over the Great Hall as everyone stared at the unlikely pair that just left together.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As soon as they left the Great Hall, Hermione took a step to put more space between Draco and herself.

"Did you see their faces? I think Ron was about to be sick!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

"No, I'm pretty sure that Weasely looks like that everyday" shrugged Draco. Hermione giggled in spite of herself.

"So where are we headed? We do have at least 30 minutes before class starts." At Draco's insistence, they began the trek down to the dungeons for potions class with Professor Slughorn. Double Potions with the Slytherins and the Gryffindors. Waiting outside the classroom, Hermione looked at Draco.

He was leaning on the stone walls with his right foot bent backwards against it. He had his arms crossed over his chest and his head leaning back. Eyes closed, he looked relaxed for once. Hermione had never seem him without his infamous smirk or scowl. He really was attractive when he wasn't spitting insults at her. Sighing, she slid down the wall and began reviewing her essay. She had to prepare for her upcoming N.E.W.T.S. Just because she wanted revenge on her ex-boyfriend does not mean that she can afford to let her grades drop.

"So are we going to sit together in class or are you going to stay with Potter?" Draco questioned, his eyes still closed. Hermione thought carefully. On one hand, she could sit with Draco and cause an even bigger spectacle, or she could sit with Harry and act as though nothing peculiar happened today at lunch. That was definitely the best course of action considering that she and Draco hadn't quite discussed what was enough for today so she decided to keep a low profile.

As Professor Slughorn opened the doors to his classroom, Hermione waited until Harry took a seat and then sat next to him. She smiled slightly when he turned to look at her.

"What was that this morning? With Malfoy?"

"Don't worry Harry. Just Head duty" she had the decency to blush a little bit. As Harry opened his mouth to say more, Professor Slughorn began to teach.

"Good morning class. Now, today we'll be starting a month long potion. It's definitely one of the trickiest potions that I have to pleasure to show you but I have no doubt that if you made it to NEWTS level, you'll get through just fine" With a little smile, Slughorn went around his desk and opened the lid of his cauldron. Some students held their nose at the scent of the potion. "Now, you'll be in groups of three just to make sure that there are no problems and I want all of you on your best behaviour. When I call your name, one of you, please come up to the front of the class and grab your list of ingredients. Oh I forgot to mention, don't say the name of the potion out loud! I want a little bit of suspense if you please." The professor then took out a list from his pocket, unravelled the parchment and began calling out names.

_"Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Lavender Brown" _Theodore went up to get the roll of parchment from Professor Slughorn and his eyes widened a fraction when he saw the name of the potion.

_"Parvati Patil, Neville Longbottom, Blaise Zabini" _When Neville unravelled his piece of parchment, he let out a squeak and practically threw it over to Parvati.

Hermione was more than curious at this point. Just how difficult could the potion be for her classmates to have a reaction as strong as that?

_"Ronald Weasely, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe" _Ron, in an attempt to show off, walked to the front with his shoulders pushed back and his arms swaying, paled considerably when he saw the title of the sheet.

_"Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy" _At the sound of her name, Hermione froze. When she heard who her partners were, however, she relaxed. Harry and Draco were two of the strongest students when it came to brewing potions. Looking at the two boys, Hermione stood up from her seat and went to Professor Slughorn's desk. Picking up the parchment, Hermione took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

Waiting until she sat down to open her roll, she unravelled the parchment inch by inch, knowing that Harry was going insane trying to figure out what the potion was. Finally looking down at the title, Hermione couldn't help but giggle at what was written. There, at the bottom of the parchment, in small script, were the words "Polyjuice Potion".

Poker-faced, Hermione passed the roll to Harry without showing him what it was. Her best friend was practically sweating but when he opened the paper, he grinned. Relieved beyond belief, they listened to the professor.

".. making the Polyjuice Potion. Now-no Mr. Longbottom, don't be afraid young man. You'll be working with your group for the next month or so and at the end of the month, you'll all turn into each other! How absolutely exciting, yes?" His eyes shone as he taught the class, however the only students who weren't cowering were Harry, Hermione and Draco.

"Now, can anyone tell me the use of said potion?" Professor Slughorn barely finished his sentence when a familiar dainty hand shot through the air. Motioning towards her to speak, Slughorn listened attentively to one of the only students who did not look afraid.

"Allows the drinker to temporarily assume the form of another person."

"Correct you are, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor! Now, I'd like you to sit with your classmates according to your teams and from there, begin working on your potions! Be very careful though, because you'll only get one chance to brew it. Any mistakes will ultimately lead to a failing grade." With that, the students shuffled around the classroom.

"Malfoy" Harry greeted.

"Potter" Draco reciprocated.

"Both of you, get over your childish ways. I absolutely refuse to fail this point!" Hermione exclaimed. After getting both boys to promise to be on their best behaviour, Hermione set about planning the potion.

"I absolutely refuse to forget anything, so first, the lacewing flies have to be stewed for 21 days, and only fluxweed that has been picked at full moon are acceptable.." Hermione rattled on, explaining step by step while Harry mentioned in anything she overlooked.

Draco however, noticed something oddly bizarre about the current situation. Hermione was reciting the potion preparation and recipe word for word, however she was not looking at her book. From his seat next to her, he was able to see that her copy of Moste Potente Potions was closed and in her book bag.

Eyes widening at his realization, he clamped his hand over her quill. Caught off guard, Hermione looked straight at Draco while Harry watched.

"You've done this potion before, haven't you?" Draco whispered to the two of them. Like two deers caught in headlights, they stared at him. After a moment of silence, Harry simply confirmed Draco's suspicions.

"Yes actually. Well, Hermione brewed it for us, and I gathered the ingredients."

"When?"

"Second year" Hermione answered curtly. Draco merely gaped. She brewed an illegal, advanced potion at 12 years old and saw nothing wrong with that. Suddenly understanding why Harry and Hermione were relaxed, he smirked. There was no need to stress over this assignment anymore.

The trio carried on discussing the potion until the bell rang for their next class. Harry and Hermione gathered their books quickly while Draco lounged around, taking his time. Refusing to talk to Draco, let alone look at him any longer, Harry left without saying goodbye whereas Hermione lingered, not quite sure whether to wait for Draco or not.

"What do you want, Granger?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure if you wanted me to wait for you or not. We have transfiguration next and I was thinking that we could walk together?" Hermione wasn't quite sure where her sudden bravado was coming from but she needed his help. Draco agreed to help her and this was his idea in the beginning. Agreeing, he picked up his bag and headed to the door.

Draco motioned for her to exit the class before him as he held the heavy door open. Together they walked out of the dungeons and headed towards the central staircases to get to their next class.

Hermione kept quiet as they walked and every few moments, she'd look at Draco. He was emotionless, a cold stare always on his face. The dungeons that they just left were empty so there was no need for them to pretend, but the staircases were always packed so Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and held it while they walked.

Stumbling at his sudden movement, Hermione could barely believe what he was doing. They agreed to start out slowly, and yet, he was holding her hand in front of everyone! She could already hear the hushed whispers around them as people stared.

"What are you doing?" Hermione hissed in his ear. He merely smirked and drew her closer.

"I'll explain it all in the common room after dinner now for god's sake Granger, smile a bit and look as though you're happy to be with me." He smiled as he spoke, giving the appearance that he was merely being affectionate.

As they approached their classroom for Transfiguration, their classmates went mute. They simply could not believe that their Head Girl and Head Boy were holding hands and smiling at each other! Within the crowd, Ron took a menacing step forward, fists clenched at his side when his girlfriend pulled him back towards her by his arm. Harry watched, not quite sure what to make of this sudden friendship that seemed to be blossoming.

Out of nowhere, Headmistress McGonagall ran towards the students, slightly out of breath as she reached the students and explained that their professor was sick and class would be cancelled for the day. Cheers erupted from the students as they spread out quickly, each finding something more exciting to do than going to class. Turning towards Draco, Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "How about we discuss this now instead of after dinner?" Draco turned and left without so much as agreeing with her and she was left with no choice but to follow the selfish git.

"Care to explain what that was back there?" Crossing her arms, Hermione awaited an answer. She was shocked by his nerve and he completely threw her off by holding her hand.

Loosening his tie and plopping down on the sofa, he leaned his head against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. "Well I realized that we don't necessarily need to shag in the hallways, but holding hands isn't a crime-and it'll certainly move things along faster. Besides Granger, you were the one who needed my help for this. I'm only helping you to get a kick out of Weasel, and going slowly won't do much to anger him." Seeing his point, Hermione sat down next to him and folded her hands in her lap.

"Well, what do you suggest we do Malfoy?" came the timid question from the usually confident teenager.

"First things first, we can't keep calling each other by our last names. It just won't do. You need to address me as Draco, and I'll address you as Hermione. Just that will confuse people because we've spent seven years calling each other by our last names. From now on, we'll have to be affectionate in front of our classmates. I want to see just how far we can take this without anyone else questioning it. We'll be seen together all over the castle, studying in the library, picnic on the grounds, walking around the quidditch pitch... That sort of thing. For Merlin's sake though, stop looking so damn uncomfortable every time you're next to me. It looks ridiculous if I'm completely love-struck around you and you look like you just swallowed the Giant Squid. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." With that, Hermione turned to head out the door and meet up with her friends for lunch.

"Just a second Gra-Hermione!" At Draco's insistence, Hermione faced him once again.

"What now?" Catching up to her, he stopped just in front of her and looked at her intensely, almost as though he was studying her. Lifting his two hands, he slid them into her hair and began massaging her scalp.

Unable to suppress her giggles, Hermione began to twitch uncontrollably.

"Dra-stop-what-no-ah" Cracking a slight smile at her reaction, he kept at massaging her scalp. After another solid minute of his torture, he took his hands out of her hair and fussed with her uniform, unbuttoning the first button of her blouse and lifting her skirt a bit more. When he finished his work, he brought her in front of the wall to ceiling mirror they had in the common room.

Staring back at her in the mirror was a striking young witch who appeared as though she'd just made out with a boy. The mussed hair, hastily-thrown-on clothes and glassy look in her eyes from laughing made it look legitimate. On top of that, Draco stood behind her, messing with his hair and he already had his tie loosened. They made quite a pair, standing next to each other. Smirking, he picked up his bag and waited for her by the portrait. He could only imagine Weasel's reaction to his precious bookworm looking as though she'd been rolling around with a snake.

* * *

Quiet. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop as they entered the hall together and then went to their respective tables. Hermione sat down next to Ginny and in front of Harry, ignoring Ron and Lavender on the other side of Ginny. After McGonagall cleared her throat, the food appeared on the table and conversation resumed once again.

"So Hermione, what exactly is going on between you and Malfoy?" Harry asked nonchalantly, as though he wasn't bursting with curiosity.

"Draco and I? Nothing really" she replied casually. At the use of his given name, Ron choked on his punch he'd been sipping on.

"Draco? How dare you use that ferrets first name!" Banging his fist on the table and completely ignoring Lavender, he turned a bright red. "I knew I made the right choice in breaking up with you. Only filth would involve themselves with snakes of any kind, let alone Malfoys. You're nothing but a slut Hermione Granger, and I'm sure as hell glad to have left you when I di-" Ron was cut off by the sound of Harry punching him in the nose. Crying out and clutching his now bloody nose, he sank to the floor. Harry massaged his hand and turned to look at his best friend who was now white and had tears falling steadily down her face.

"Let's get out of here, yeah?" Harry and Ginny pulled Hermione to her feet and ushered her out of the Great Hall. Looking back, he was able to see Lavender fretting over Ron, but curiously enough, he also saw that Draco Malfoy was watching Hermione with a decidedly concerned look in his eyes.


End file.
